My Paint Color

One of the questions I get the most is “What’s that paint color?”

I’ve owned my home for six and a half years, and over those six and half years, my walls have been somewhat of a technicolor dream coat. From ‘Peacock Feather’ in the master bedroom to ‘Pale Shrimp’ in the guest bath (which is going away this weekend, mind you…), my beloved painter, Bruno, has spent countless hours painting and re-painting my walls, color after color. My house has a very open floor plan, as the dining room, living room and kitchen are all technically one big space, so a few years ago I thought it would be best to paint the whole house the same color for a bit more ‘cohesion.’ And as someone who loves a good pop of color, settling on just one was quite the daunting task.

I finally decided that I wanted a very subtle, neutral gray, and after what seemed like countless hours of going back and forth from Home Depot and Lowe’s–and basically robbing them of every paint chip they had–I landed on Martha Stewart’s ‘Chinchilla.’ Bruno always suggests that I go to Sherwin Williams to have my paint mixed, so there I went with chip in hand. While they don’t carry Martha Stewart’s line, they were able to match the formula for me. I took it home to ‘test’ and it was literally baby blue…I tried it in every room, and looked at it in every type of light. In a panic, I rushed back to Sherwin Williams and had them adjust the formula to make it less blue. Round two. I came back home and tested yet another swatch, and while it still wasn’t as gray as I wanted, I went with it. NEVER DO THAT. It doesn’t cost you anything to adjust the color, so if you’re not 100% happy with it, try and try again until you get exactly what you want! However, here we are years later, and I’m still living with my blue-gray walls. I’m not saying I hate them, I’m just saying if I had the time, money, and patience, I’d do it differently. Just don’t come over to my house and ask, “Hey, what color blue is this?” Because…don’t.

This post is likely coming way too late, as I just discovered that Home Depot no longer carries Martha Stewart’s paint collection or this color, but lucky for you, I’ve got the formula! This can be taken to any paint store and they should be able to match. Keep in mind, that you can adjust it (less blue, more blue, darker, lighter, etc…) to your heart’s content!

I’ll be sure to document good ol’ ‘Pale Shrimp’ in the guest bath, before it goes the way of the rest of the house this weekend! It’s the end of a colorful era…*sigh*

PAINTING TIPS

Paint a test swatch in every room, and look at it throughout the day to see how it looks in different light. Paint in natural daylight will look completely different at night.

Any paint store can mix any color in any finish. If you find a color you like at Home Depot, you can take it to Lowe’s and they can match it, etc…

Personalize your paint! If you don’t love the paint out of the can, adjust it so it’s perfect. Make it lighter, darker, adjust hues, etc…Don’t settle!

After you’re finished painting, keep some extra paint–or have a small pint mixed–to have on hand for touch ups.

If you’re going to use an old can of paint to finish a project (i.e. I have 1/3 of a gallon left of “Chinchilla” but I’ll need more than that to finish my guest bathroom this weekend) Take in your old paint and have them shake it really well when you’re buying more. That way, they’ll both be mixed evenly. Keep in mind that different cans can sometime not match exactly.